We are working to gather about 200 volunteers to give the children of the greater Hazelwood community a safe and attractive spot to play.

Through funds from The Heinz Endowments, and a partnership between the Hazelwood community, Hazelwood Initiative, KaBOOM!, Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children, and us, Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative, we are scheduled to construct the KaBOOM! Playspace on Saturday, September 17, 2016.

Volunteers will arrive at 8 a.m. With a lot of hard work, and breaks for food and fun, we should have a brand-spanking-new, state-of-the-art playground for all of the deserving kids and families in the Hazelwood area at about 2:30 p.m.

The KaBOOM! Playspace will be a main attraction along the Hazelwood Play Trail, which both literally and figuratively connects playful features in the neighborhood in hopes of disseminating play throughout the entire community.

The new playground and the Play Trail are critical pieces of the economic revitalization puzzle coming together in Hazelwood. You may have heard about Uber’s self-driving vehicles in Pittsburgh. The test facility for the self-driving Uber cars will soon be at the former LTV plan in Hazelwood, according to The Post-Gazette. It’s part of a large, mixed-use development plan called Almono.

You can be part of this exciting time in Hazelwood. Please consider donating some of your time to help us build the playground on Sept. 17. Give the more than 100 children in Hazelwood the childhood they deserve.